No incumbents in annual Hopkinton election

Thursday

Apr 3, 2014 at 2:34 AM

By Jonathan PhelpsDaily News Staff

HOPKINTON – There are no incumbent School Committee members or selectmen running for re-election this year.Nomination papers with 50 residents’ signatures were due to the town clerk Monday. The election is May 19.John Coutinho, a member of the Planning Board and Zoning Advisory Committee, is the only candidate to return nomination papers to run for selectman.Selectman Brian Herr, a Republican, is not seeking re-election to run for U.S. Senate against Edward Markey, a Democrat.There are three residents interested in the two open School Committee seats: Kelly Knight, Lori Nickerson and Frank Sivo.Incumbent School Committee member Nancy Burdick and Scott Aghababian are not seeking re-election.Both the Democratic and Republican town committees are expected to caucus - Democrats on April 5, Republicans on April 11. The caucuses could result in an expanded field of candidates, according to Town Clerk Geri Holland.Coutinho, of David Joseph Road, said he decided to run because of his experience on both the Zoning Advisory Committee for six years and Planning Board for four years. He said there are three proposed developments in town that could raise the population from 16,000 to 20,000."I can bring a unique prospective to the Board of Selectmen," he said. "The board has been the same for the past five years and I believe I can being a fresh prospective."Knight, of Ledgestone Drive, said she decided to run for School Committee because she wants to maintain the quality of the school system."When I tell people where I live I almost always hear, ‘Oh, you have great schools,’" she said in a statement. "It’s true, we do, and we need to be sure we keep them that way by balancing sound and clearly articulated educational goals with fiscal prudence."Nickerson, of Glen Road, is looking to bring new ideas to the committee and complete the district’s strategic plan."The citizens of Hopkinton have a passion for the schools as well as for the town overall. I share that passion and I would consider it a privilege to serve on the School Committee to help ensure that each and every child continues to receive the type of education that makes our schools a model for other towns," she said in a statement.Sivo said he’s running because he believes education is a community's core responsibility."I will make sure that the school district’s strategic plan appropriately fosters continuous improvement balanced with the will of the community in the current economic environment," he said in a statement. "I will ensure that thoughtful, fact-based, transparent, and fiscally responsible decisions are consistently made."